Bowling ball returnway



Dec. 31, 1940. E sscw 2,226,872

BOWLING BALL RETURNWAYS Filed NOV. 20, 1939 IIIII 1,111,11 IIIII INVENTOR. HEN/9) 21''. P4 ss'ow ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOWLING BALL RETUBNWAY H Henry E. Passow, San Francisco, Calif. Application November 20, 1939, Serial No. 305,305

Claims. (Cl- 273-47) This invention relates to improvements in supported on the flexible traction belts Ill, l6. bowling ball returnways. These belts are driven by their respective pulleys Among the objects of the invention is to rei1, i8 fixed on the driven shaft i9 and jourtard the returning balls before they come to rest naled in the box like bed 20. The belts pass 5 on the rack, around their respective idle pulleys 2!, 22, free 5 Another object is to whirl the balls on their on the shaft 23 that is fixed in the adjustable vertical axis during the retarding operation. block 24 slidable in the opposite end of the A further object is to clean the surface of bed 20. This block is adjusted by the screw 25, the revolving balls. swiveled in the end of the bed 20 and threaded Other objects and advantages will appear as into the block 24. This adjustment functions 10 the description progresses. to take up slack and inequalities in the lengths In this specification and the accompanying of the belts i5, i6. drawing the invention is disclosed in its pre- The top portions of the belts are supported by ferred form. But it is to be understood that it the intermediate idle pulleys 26-29 free on the is not limited to this form because it may be cross shafts 30, 3| respectively. 15

I embodied in other forms within the purview of The shaft i9 is driven by the wormgear 32 the claims following the description. enmeshed with the gear worm 33, fixed on the In the one sheet of drawings: shaft 34 of the motor 35 that is mounted between Fig. l is a side elevation in vertical section on the sides I, 'l. the line I-I, Fig. 2, of a ball returnway con- The belts i5, it are of substantially uniform 2o structed in accordance with this invention. cross section, but the grooves in the pulleys en- Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the ball retarding gaging the belt l5 are narrower than those for and brushing unit. the opposed belt it. This causes the belt ii to Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in horizontal sectravel slightly faster than the belt 16. This in tion on the line III-HI. Fig. 1, of the reverse turn causes the ball 5 supported thereby to ro- 25 traction unit. tate on the vertical as well as on the horizontal Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same on the axis in its passage through the brush ii. line IVIV, Fig. 2. Both belts i5, [6 are driven in the direction Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section of the same of the normal travel. not the rotation, of the ball taken on the line V-V, Fig. 4. on the returnway toward the rack t. The retard- 30 Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a ing action of the brush is further increased by modified drive for the traction unit. the lateral whirling of the ball due to the differ- In detail, the construction illustrated in the ential in belt speeds in addition to the peripheral drawing, referring first to Fig. 1, comprises the friction of the brush ii.

conventional ball returnway i, having the abrupt The motor circuit is indicated by the two wires 35 incline or hump 2, with a short decline 3 to the 36, 31 leading to and from the resilient switch level of the rack 4. It is the usual practice to contact members 38, 39 mounted in the dielectric make these runways of two parallel separated base 40. The dielectric plunger 4i guided in the rails upon and between which the balls, such as bed 20 rests upon the member 38 and has the con- 5,1'011. tact operating head 42 extending between the 40 The present invention is interposed in the path length of the belts i5, it in the path of the ball of the balls 5' and 5" between the decline 3 5. This head 42 is depressed and closes the switch and the rack 4. It consists of the rectangular 38-39 to instantly energize the quick starting frame having the base 8, sides 1, I, and the top motor 35 when the ball rolls onto the belts l5, I6.

45 8 preferably made of steel plate bent and weld- The retarding effect of the brush may be pro- 5 ed to form a supporting standard. It is bolted portioned to the average momentum of the ball to the fioor at i0, ID. by adjusting the brush on the sides I, 'l. The ar- The segmental retarding brush ii is mounted rested ball is slowly advanced onto the rack 4 within the curved frame l2, the ends l3, ll of by the traction of the belts l5, I6.

which are adiustably bolted to the sides I, I. The In conventional bowling alley practice the di- 59 inner circumference of this brush is slightly mensions of the balls are standardized but of difgreater than the outer circumference of the ball ferent weights. The flexibility of the bristles in 5 which snubs or retards the forward movement the brushes will accommodate some variation in of the ball to a standstill. ball diameter. The brush can be centered with In its passage through the brush the ball is the axis of the ball by adjusting it in its at- 5 tachment to the sides 1. I. For greater variation in ball diameter, suitable brush sizes can be substituted for the standard size brush ll shown.

The flexible couplings 48, 41 are introduced in the motor shaft SI to compensate for possible disalinement between the motive and driven element.

The modification in Fig. 6 is the same as the structure and mode of operation described except that the driven shaft "a: is driven by the gear worm 33:: on the counter shaft 34:. This counter shaft is driven by the pulley 43 and the belt 44 engaging the pulley 48 on the shaft of the motor 352:. A plurality of pulleys can be driven as by the second worm 33m. This belt drive has some advantages due to .the flexibility oi the belt 44 in starting and possible slippage with consequent prevention of damage to the motor should the traction unit become jammed by a foreign obstruction entering tthe unit.

Having thus described this invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patcntis:

i. In a returnway in the class described, a ball retarder including a substantially cylindrical brush; a traction member within the arc of said brush and means for driving said traction member in a direction opposite to the normal rotation of a ball rolling through said brush from said retumway.

2. In a returnway in the class described; a ball retarder including a substantially cylindrical brush: a pair of parallel traction belts adapted 6 to travel at relatively different speeds; a motor geared to said belts; and a motor switch control for said motor between said belts in the path of a ball passing through said brush.

3. A returnway in the class described, includ- 10 ing a substantially cylindrical brush: a pair of parallel traction belts within the perimeter of said brush; and means for driving said belts at different speeds.

4. A returnway in the class described, includ- 15 ing an inclined ball support: a substantially cylindrlcal brush arranged above said support: a traction means within the perimeter of said brush and forming a continuation of said support: and means for driving said traction means. 20

5. A returnway in the class described. including an inclined ball support: a substantially cylindrical brush arranged above said support a traction means within the perimeter of said brush; and means for driving said traction means in a 25 manner to alter the normal rotation of a ball descending said support as it passes through said brush.

HENRY E. PASSOW. 

